Eight months after Microsoft and Nokia announced that they would be joining forces in the smartphone market, the first two Windows Phone 7.5 devices from Nokia will start to saunter into the marketplace later this year in select markets.

I. Lumia 810 will tackle the high-end
When it comes to doing battle with the latest high-end smartphones running Android and iOS, Nokia is offering up its new Lumia 800. The hardware specs won't impress anyone from the Android camp, as the Lumia 800 features a 3.7" AMOLED ClearBlack curved display (800x480), a single-core, 1.4GHz Qualcomm processor, and just 16GB of internal memory (there's no microSD slot for expansion, although Nokia does provide 25GB of free SkyDrive access).

The Lumia 800 may not feature a dual-core processor, but Microsoft says that such firepower isn't needed for the Windows Phone 7.x platform… for now. "They're all single core, but I suspect that they will be faster in usage than any dual-core phone that you put against it, and that’s the point," said Windows Phone chief Andy Lees in an interview with AllThingsD earlier this month.

Nokia smartphones have been known in the past for their excellent cameras, and the Lumia 800 is no exception. The smartphone offers up an 8MP rear camera with an f/2.2 aperture and Carl Zeiss optics.

And for those of you familiar with Nokia's N9, the sleek shape of the Lumia 800 should be instantly recognizable. The Lumia 800 is constructed of a single piece of polycarbonate plastic and features a curved Gorilla glass display. It is, however, a bit on the chunky side at 12.1mm thick and weighs 5 ounces.

Nokia says that the Lumia 800 is good for 9.5 hours of 3G talk time, 55 hours of music playback, and 7 hours of video playback.

The Lumia 800 (available in Cyan, Black, and Magenta) will have a retail price of around $535 USD and will be released in Europe in November, and in Asia by the end of the year. There is no word on U.S. availability, but recent reports suggest that U.S. customers won't have access to the phone until next year.

II. Those on a budget can look at Nokia's Lumia 710
If the Lumia 800's $535 price tag is a tough pill to swallow, Nokia also announced the Lumia 710. The Lumia 710 features the same 1.4GHz processor as its more sophisticated brother, but includes a 5MP camera and lacks the AMOLED display. The smartphone also only comes with 8GB of internal storage, but it unlike the Lumia 800, it includes a microSD slot for expansion. It will be available in black and white, but more colorful backplates will be available for purchase.

When it comes to battery life, the Lumia 710 is rated at 7.6 hours of 3G talk time, 38 hours of music playback, and 6 hours of video playback.

III. It's all in the software

Of course, both the Lumia 800 and 710 are running Windows Phone 7.5 "Mango". Nokia abandoned its own smartphones efforts with MeeGo and Symbian to embrace Microsoft's sleek mobile operating system. To help differentiate its products from other Windows Phone devices on the market, the Lumia 800 and 710 will feature Nokia Drive turn-by-turn navigation, Nokia Music, and the ESPN Sports Hub as integral portions of the UI.

"Eight months ago, we shared our new strategy and today we are demonstrating clear progress of this strategy in action. We're driving innovation throughout our entire portfolio, from new smartphone experiences to ever smarter mobile phones," said Stephen Elop, Nokia President and CEO. "From the Nokia Lumia 800 to the Nokia Asha 201, we are bringing compelling new products to the market faster than ever before. I'm incredibly proud of these new devices - and the people of Nokia who have made this happen."

That's absurd, you are caught up in this tiny slice of the world of tech blogs. Most people don't know or care, it's marketing and MS is not doing a good job. Part of marketing is working with retailers and salespeople, advertising to the right market (not you or me btw), these are great phones for customers new to smart phones, which is where Nokia's GPS app is a big boost.

I'm just gonna say this: There are a large number of people who love their smart phones because its the best ratio of mobility/computing, whether that means emails or games, whatever.

I dont know ANYONE that doesn't wish they were doing that on something a bit bigger than what most people are rocking (3.7's, not EVERYONE has 4.3, which is still too small for what most people are truly trying to do)

Microsoft is betting that people will realize this when Win8 tablets come out.

MS's future is not in the phone market, its likely going to be a mesh of tablet and desktop/server/traditional formfactors..

Don't ge tmy wrong, WP is a priority with them, but they don't need to push it huge. Once their tablet offering is taken seriously (provided it makes it to market in a state of respect-worthiness) there will be a synergy between WP and Win8 that will be leveraged and then you're likely to see the real push for WP.

Until then, it makes NO sense for so much marketing $$$ to be spent on WP at this time. MS is not really primarily working to sway people from the devices they already have, they are largely looking to tap new users.